‘Avatar’ director became the first solo diver to dive to 35,756 feet in the Pacific Ocean. By Gil Kaufman James Cameron Photo: Getty Images Director James Cameron has scaled the heights in Hollywood with mega-smashes including “Titanic” and “Avatar.” Hell, he even once described himself as “king of the world” at the Oscars. But on Sunday, the oceanographic nut reached new depths when he piloted his custom one-man submarine to the deepest point in the world’s oceans by hitting 35,756 feet in the Mariana Trench, southwest of Guam, according to National Geographic . It marks the first time a solo diver has ever reached that point. Following seven years of preparation for the dive, and a few days cooling his heels to wait for bad weather to pass, Cameron pulled the feat off at 2:52 p.m. PT and then shared the historic news on Twitter. “Just arrived at the ocean’s deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good,” Cameron tweeted after the two-and-a-half-hour descent that took him 6.8 miles deep. “Can’t wait to share what I’m seeing w/ you @DeepChallenge.” The record earned props from none other than movie tough guy and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who tweeted, “Congrats to my great friend on the deepest solo dive ever. Always a pioneer.” Cameron surfaced a short time later after a 70-minute ascent. Cameron helped design the torpedo-shaped sub called the DeepSea Challenger, which he used to collect samples and 3-D video on the ocean floor for nearly six hours. He was pleased with how the dive went, though he lamented that the “manipulator arm” didn’t work, which is “to be expected w/a prototype vehicle. Takes time to iron out bugs.” He said the team plans to go back and do a number of other dives over the next few weeks. “I see this as the beginning of opening up this frontier,” he said. “Open up to science & understanding these deep places.” Though he’s focused much of his time lately on the dive, it’s possible Cameron surfaced with some ideas for the “Avatar” sequel. In August of 2010, the director told us that the sequel could be focused on the oceans of Pandora. “I think what we should do there is — because we’ll have to have characters that are in and under the water — is that we should actually capture them underwater,” Cameron explained. “It’s not the same as going diving, but I like to keep my diving, which I do for pleasure, separate from work.”
“If you show a woman’s mammary glands, if it’s done poorly, it instantly takes away from the comedic element of the scene. It’s too jarring. But [my husband] Chris [Pratt] and I were pitching around a character, a Hollywood-mess character on the red carpet at the opening of a movie. She’s talking to these journalists and she’s wasted. One boob is completely out, and she’s talking on and on, like, [Faris slurs] ‘I’m so excited to be here.’ If you held it long enough and kept it going, just the one boob, it would be so funny.” [ BlackBook ]
In a milestone of human civilization right up there with landing on the moon and eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes , James Cameron reached the deepest point on the planet on Sunday — the Mariana Trench, nearly seven miles below the surface of the Pacific. Naturally, upon reaching bottom, he did what any record-setting blockbuster deep-sea diver would do: Tweeted. Just arrived at the ocean’s deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can’t wait to share what I’m seeing w/ you @ DeepChallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 25, 2012 Back from trip to deepest pl on Earth – #oceans hadal zone.Puts a new spin on “to hell and back”. Good to see the sunshine. #deepseachallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 26, 2012 It wasn’t all good, according to a report today from Cameron’s partners at National Geographic: The expedition was designed so that Cameron could spend up to six hours collecting samples and video at the bottom of the trench. But his mission was cut short due in part to a hydraulic fluid leak that coated the window of the sub’s “pilot sphere,” obscuring his view. “I lost hydraulics toward the latter part of dive, and I was unable to use the manipulator arm,” Cameron said this morning Considering the daunting task of sending humans into the deep, such technical glitches are to be expected, Cameron emphasized: “It’s a prototype vehicle, so it’s gonna take time to iron out the bugs.” And even with the hydraulic leak obscuring the explorer’s vision, word has it that the ocean floor looked better than Titanic 3D . [ National Geographic ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
In a milestone of human civilization right up there with landing on the moon and eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes , James Cameron reached the deepest point on the planet on Sunday — the Mariana Trench, nearly seven miles below the surface of the Pacific. Naturally, upon reaching bottom, he did what any record-setting blockbuster deep-sea diver would do: Tweeted. Just arrived at the ocean’s deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can’t wait to share what I’m seeing w/ you @ DeepChallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 25, 2012 Back from trip to deepest pl on Earth – #oceans hadal zone.Puts a new spin on “to hell and back”. Good to see the sunshine. #deepseachallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 26, 2012 It wasn’t all good, according to a report today from Cameron’s partners at National Geographic: The expedition was designed so that Cameron could spend up to six hours collecting samples and video at the bottom of the trench. But his mission was cut short due in part to a hydraulic fluid leak that coated the window of the sub’s “pilot sphere,” obscuring his view. “I lost hydraulics toward the latter part of dive, and I was unable to use the manipulator arm,” Cameron said this morning Considering the daunting task of sending humans into the deep, such technical glitches are to be expected, Cameron emphasized: “It’s a prototype vehicle, so it’s gonna take time to iron out the bugs.” And even with the hydraulic leak obscuring the explorer’s vision, word has it that the ocean floor looked better than Titanic 3D . [ National Geographic ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
In a milestone of human civilization right up there with landing on the moon and eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes , James Cameron reached the deepest point on the planet on Sunday — the Mariana Trench, nearly seven miles below the surface of the Pacific. Naturally, upon reaching bottom, he did what any record-setting blockbuster deep-sea diver would do: Tweeted. Just arrived at the ocean’s deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can’t wait to share what I’m seeing w/ you @ DeepChallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 25, 2012 Back from trip to deepest pl on Earth – #oceans hadal zone.Puts a new spin on “to hell and back”. Good to see the sunshine. #deepseachallenge — James Cameron (@JimCameron) March 26, 2012 It wasn’t all good, according to a report today from Cameron’s partners at National Geographic: The expedition was designed so that Cameron could spend up to six hours collecting samples and video at the bottom of the trench. But his mission was cut short due in part to a hydraulic fluid leak that coated the window of the sub’s “pilot sphere,” obscuring his view. “I lost hydraulics toward the latter part of dive, and I was unable to use the manipulator arm,” Cameron said this morning Considering the daunting task of sending humans into the deep, such technical glitches are to be expected, Cameron emphasized: “It’s a prototype vehicle, so it’s gonna take time to iron out the bugs.” And even with the hydraulic leak obscuring the explorer’s vision, word has it that the ocean floor looked better than Titanic 3D . [ National Geographic ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
James Cameron broke a world record on Wednesday, plunging five miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and eclipsing the earlier four-mile mark held by a Japanese crew. But the filmmaker is not done: Later this month, in a 43-inch wide submersible christened Deepsea Challenger, Cameron will attempt to be only the third man to reach the deepest point on the planet — and the first to do it alone. Seems like a long way to go to promote Titanic 3D , but hey. Of course, previous Cameron expeditions have taken the Oscar-winner to shallower sea depths, but this time he means it : He built his miniature submarine secretly in Australia, and already it has outdone all other watercraft in its ability to ferry people through the deep’s crushing pressures. As with the birth of the private space rocket industry, where commercial companies are building ships to take astronauts aloft, the debut of Mr. Cameron’s submarine signals the rising importance of entrepreneurs in the global race to advance science and technology. He said the vehicle over all had many cameras but only one thick porthole, its inner diameter three inches. He described the craft as a “vertical torpedo,” meant to fall and rise quickly so as to maximize time for exploring the seabed. “You’d be an idiot not to be apprehensive, but I trust the design,” Mr. Cameron said as he contemplated his impending dive. “You’re going into one of the most unforgiving places on earth.” But as Brian Lam adds , it’s OK! If only because, ahem: “James’s breath vapor and sweat will condense on a metal surface where it is collected into a bag; he can drink it in an emergency.” Right . And then what souvenirs would we be left with? Xenophyophores, the bottom-dwelling “mysterious life forms [that] consist of a single cell and appear able to grow to the size of a fist”? EBay does not approve. Anyway, here’s video: [ NYT , The Scuttlefish via The Awl ]
We break down this year’s remaining ‘Idol’ hopefuls, from Aaron Marcellus to Skylar Laine, and everyone in between. By James Montgomery Members of the “American Idol” Top 24 Photo: FOX On Thursday, after approximately 4,256 hours of auditions, callbacks, comparisons, falsettos and fainting spells (not to mention the occasional bit of nudity and some stuff on a battleship), “American Idol” finally whittled the masses of dreamers down to the Top 24. It was a ride, to say the very least, but at long last, we know the names and faces of the folks who will battle it out to become the heir to Scotty McCreery’s crown. Of course, keeping track of all the hopefuls can get rather difficult (especially since so many of them are country singers), which is why we’ve once again taken it upon ourselves to break down each of them in handy-dandy bios. Because how else are you supposed to tell your Hallie Days from your Heejun Hans? So here’s our guide to the Top 24 — we’re not even going to get into the whole “Surprise Save” that’ll be unveiled next week … haven’t we been through enough already? — alphabetized and cross-referenced for your perusing pleasure. Aaron Marcellus : Throwback soul singer too frequently overshadowed by groupmates (and fellow Top 24ers) Creighton Fraker and Jen Hirsch. Seems like he could have a moment at some point during the live shows. Sort of looks like Godfrey . Adam Brock : Secretomotoristic father/crooner/possessor of magical handkerchief who barely made it to the Top 24. Kind of a combination of Casey Abrams and Ruben Studdard, only with better facial hair. Baylie Brown : Pop-country pinup who returns to the competition after making a run as a teen. Could charitably be described as “Carrie Underwood Lite.” Probably gets lots of dirty looks from Skylar Laine. Brielle Von Hugel : Empirically named progeny of cloying stage mom, who, not surprisingly, carries herself as a diva-in-training. Wearer of impressively knitted half-blouses. Capable of putting some stank on it. Chase Likens : Unassuming country dude who sort of recalls Neon Bible -era Win Butler. Vest enthusiast. Uh, yeah. Chelsea Sorrell : Small-town gal whose childhood dreams included being both “a mom and a country singer.” As far as we can tell, she’s halfway there. Had some rough patches, still made the Top 24. Dropper of many “Y’alls.” Colton Dixon : Sorta-emo guy who looks like a Tim Burton illustration. Outlasted his sister during Hollywood Week, none too happy about that fact. Gives off a slightly Christian vibe, which, coupled with the fact that he’s from Tennessee, probably means he knows Hayley Williams. Creighton Fraker : Lithe-voiced/creatively haired cabaret singer who flaunted his lack of employment for maximum impact. Seen wearing fuzzy rabbit ears during “Idol” vignettes. Slightly odd, yet may be one of the best male singers in the competition. Deandre Brackensick : Lion-maned teen with equally epic moniker, he’s been down this path before. Finally made the Top 24, yet needs to find his zone to advance in the competition. Eben Franckewitz : Polite 15-year-old Bieber-ite who bested David Leathers Jr. to nab the final guy’s spot (outrage!) Overall lack of confidence nearly as glaring as his bad posture. Proud recipient of the coveted “You’re cute!” endorsement from Jennifer Lopez. Elise Testone : Likeable lifer who absolutely kills it every time she takes the stage. Raspy/sultry notes for days. Can put some stank on it. Still, will probably will get voted off early. If you squint, she kind of resembles Ke$ha. Erika Van Pelt : Effervescent wedding singer with brassy voice. Kind of a surprise addition to the Top 24. Has a massive back tattoo, ala Crystal Bowersox, yet will probably not make it as far as the ‘Sox. Haley Johnsen : Vaguely indie smokeshow from the Pacific Northwest. Voice like a steam kettle, yet also capable of some stank when the situation demands it. Like Megan Joy, minus the tattoo sleeve. Hallie Day : Former girl-group member/cautionary tale who appropriately owned Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Dark horse. Lips single-handedly keeping Blistex in business. Choice of husband a source of inspiration for slightly chunky dudes everywhere. Heejun Han : Buttery-voiced, slightly catty people’s champ. Seems to understand the inherent ridiculousness of this entire contest. Frequent hugger. Deflects any perceived criticisms (i.e. “He’s kind of a jerk”) by working with the mentally challenged. Cunning. Hollie Cavanagh : Last girl in. Scouser/Southern accent makes her sound like Paul McCartney running a cattle auction. Good voice. Appears to be very nice, also appears to be channeling every single girl who sat behind you in Social Studies, neither of which bode well for her chances of winning. Jen Hirsch : Big ( big! )-voiced belter who may very well be the one to beat. Miles of stank. Likeable. Kind of recalls a supercharged Haley Reinhart, yet could definitely out-Reinhart Reinhart herself. We hope she wins. Jeremy Rosado : Only member of the highly touted Leathers/Sprague/Carruba contingent to make the Top 24 (until Leathers gets in as the “Surprise Save” next week). R&B-esque upper register, yet may not possess the, uh, fortitude to impress voters. Jessica Sanchez : Supremely driven 16-year-old who can sing the phonebook. Age belies her supreme diva-tude. Could see her winning the whole thing, could also see her flaming out when producers fail to secure correct shade of white linens for her dressing room. Maximum stank. Joshua Ledet : Twitchy balladeer/preternaturally old soul with talent to spare, yet appears to lack the self confidence required to make a deep run. Makes goofy faces whilst singing, which only makes him more likeable. Phillip Phillips : Oddball dreamboat/pawnshop employee whose bizarre name seems to suggest he had really mean parents. Probably wants to read you his poetry. Definitely owns hemp garments. Could conceivably win this whole thing if he stops with the whole “Dave Matthews foot shuffle” thing. Reed Grimm : All-grown-up stage kid who is eternally on. Name recalls Marvel Comics supervillan. Occasionally breaks into ill-advised bouts of scatting. Made sure everyone knew he could play the drums. Sort of looks like Ethan from “Lost.” Is annoying. Shannon Magrane : Talented offspring of former MLB pitcher with career .460 winning percentage. Unwilling target of Steven Tyler’s creepy (and borderline illegal) advances. Has undoubtedly met Harold Reynolds, which makes us jealous. Skylar Laine : Sparkplug Southern gal who keeps getting compared to Bonnie Raitt. Can effectively handle an ATV, yet was also hospitalized during Hollywood Week. Will probably be outshined by both Brown and Sorrell, despite being more talented than either of them. Reminder that sometimes life isn’t fair. Got a favorite to win it all? Let us know in the comments below. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Top 24 And Wildcard Contestants
Hobnobbing helps you get to know the album’s featured artists through their best works. By Amy Wilkinson Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate On Monday, Taylor Swift will enter the MTV arena to debut the music video for her Civil Wars collaboration, “Safe and Sound,” which appears on the “Hunger Games” soundtrack. And following the premiere, the country cutie will stick around MTV.com for an exclusive 30-minute interview about the lead single, her upcoming projects and more. So for Peeta’s sake, tune in, OK? But as any “Hunger Games” fan can attest, Swift isn’t the only artist to be reaped for the T-Bone Burnett-produced companion album (out March 20). Arcade Fire, the Decemberists, Neko Case and Miranda Lambert are all reportedly contributing to the effort. So to prepare for what’s sure to be an epic soundtrack, we’ve asked several music experts to recommend top tunes from each performer—a pre-Games playlist, if you will. So put down your bow and arrow, grab your earbuds and settle in with these hand-picked selections: The Decemberists “No shortage of truly great tunes (with truly epic titles) from the Pacific Northwest’s leading purveyors of erudite indie. From the hard-charging horns of ‘Sixteen Military Wives’ (off 2005’s Picaresque ) to the 12-string shimmy of ‘Down by the Water’ (from last year’s The King Is Dead ) — with proggy dalliances like ‘You’ll Not Feel the Drowning’ and ‘The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone’ in between — the ‘rists have never met a genre they wouldn’t tackle … or a song title they couldn’t stretch to infinity. — James Montgomery, Rock Writer, MTV News “The Decemberists are often described as ‘indie-folk’ or ‘chamber pop,’ but they are constantly shifting into new genres and playing with foreign sounds. ‘Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect’ is from their first album and doesn’t have the same epic quality that their later albums (most of which are sprawling mini-operas), but it does capture frontman Colin Meloy’s unending melancholy and slightly fanciful worldview. It’s catchy as hell too.” — Kyle Anderson, Staff Writer, Entertainment Weekly “Asking me to choose a favorite Decemberists song is like asking me to choose a favorite pair of shoes — I have so many! It’s almost impossible! But I’ll do it. The apotheosis of the entire Decemberists catalogue, for me, is ‘Shanty for the Arethusa’ off of their 2003 album Her Majesty the Decemberists . This isn’t a song. It’s a sensory odyssey. Dude, the way they bring to life the creaking of the rotten hull of an olde-timey ship feels so real that I can almost feel myself getting scurvy.” — Tamar Anitai, Managing Editor, MTV Buzzworthy Arcade Fire “They broke through with Funeral, thanks in no small part to anthemic, wide-screen melodramas like ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ — songs seemingly created for stadium-uniting sing-alongs — backtracked on that all-encompassing stance with insular, world-weary Neon Bible tracks like ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘My Body is a Cage,’ and, finally, with The Suburbs, ‘Month of May’ and ‘We Used to Wait,’ just decided to ditch all the subtlety and subterfuge and just become Springsteen disciples. Hey, whatever works.” — Montgomery “Canada’s finest indie exports move at only two speeds: Epic and super-epic. ‘No Cars Go’ falls in the latter category, beginning with a simple hum-and-strum, then building into great swirls of chaotic orchestral noise, with the damaged, desperate voices of frontpeople/couple Win Butler and R
MTV News reveals the Nevermind You Never Knew with a week of 20th-anniversary coverage. By James Montgomery Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain in 1991 Photo: MTV News “What are we about? Oh, we’re just this crazy rock and roll band.” That was wild-haired Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic’s summation of the band during their first interview with MTV, on September 30, 1991, and he wasn’t just being modest. At the time, their Nevermind album had been in stores for less than a week, the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had just premiered on “120 Minutes” and, really, outside of a few hardy souls in the Pacific Northwest (and various in-the-know journos), no one had really heard of Nirvana, the band that would come to “define an era,” “change the world” or any other hyperbole that would (rightfully) be showered upon them. Back then, they were just another “crazy rock and roll band,” one that was just beginning the voyage from underground to mainstream. Twenty years later, we still marvel at how far they managed to get, and how symbolic that trek truly was. And though they’d released their debut album in 1989, for all intents and purposes, Nirvana’s story really began with Nevermind, which, though it may seem incomprehensible to anyone who lived during the halcyon days of 1991, turns 20 on Saturday. In honor of that anniversary, and the moment where the foundations of rock and popular culture fundamentally shifted, we’re rolling out a week’s worth of coverage — exploring the impact of Nirvana and their wondrous, groundbreaking album, talking to folks who were there the moment everything went global and, of course, mining our tape libraries to unearth rare moments that show Nirvana as they really were: three rather scruffy, decidedly playful guys who often seemed at odds with their own success. Or, as Kurt Cobain put it in a 1993 interview with MTV News: “I wanted to have the adoration of John Lennon but have the anonymity of Ringo Starr. I didn’t want to be a frontman; I just wanted to be back there and still be a rock and roll star at the same time.” To kick things off, we decided to look back at Nirvana’s meteoric rise to fame, as told by the band itself. The above video compiles quotes taken from our vault of Nirvana interviews, starting with that first sit-down and continuing on to the release of their final studio album, 1993’s In Utero. It’s a story that’s been told thousands of times before — as most great tales have been — but never by the members of Nirvana, in their own words. It is appropriately raw, unwashed and revelatory. Just like Nevermind was when it burst forth 20 years ago … and, like all classics, how it still is today. Stick with MTV News all week as we reveal the Nevermind You Never Knew , celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s definitive album with classic footage, new interviews and much more. Related Videos Nirvana: The Nevermind You Never Knew Related Photos Kurt Cobain: A Life In Photos Related Artists Nirvana
